Day 75 Sydney, Australia

The day opened with rain showers and we tried to readjust our plans to make sure we got as much done as possible. As luck would have it just as we were ready to leave the hotel the rain stopped. We walked directly to the Royal Botanical Gardens. This is a lovely spot just four blocks from the hotel. The Opera House sits at the end of the park that juts out into Sydney harbour. It is quite peaceful and is well used by the many joggers that ply the streets and parks of the city.
After a quick lunch we split and I went to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This is a three and a half hour undertaking. First you don one of their suits of coveralls after taking off any loose jewelery and even your pants. So you are only in your underwear when you put on the overalls. They are very careful that you are not carrying anything with you including your own camera. You strap on a wide safety belt on that holds the radio thru which you hear your guide and most importantly a safety line that attaches to a cable that runs the length of the walk. After a briefing about the rules and recommendations you begin by walking on the steel girders that run under the bridge. Quickly you reach a series of steps that take you up thru the roadway level and you start walking up the outside of the archway toward the crest of the bridge. At the top you have great views of the entire harbour and the city and can even see the Blue Mountains in the distance. I could not detect any swaying at all like I have at the top of many tall buildings. It was a very nice experience which I would recommend to anyone who visits this city.
Tomorrow another day in Sydney.

Chris - This morning while it was raining Paul did some bond buying and I set out to get my hair cut. Good news there is a salon 3 doors down from our hotel, bad news is it cost me about $120 American dollars ... I don't even have $120 worth of hair!! Makes my salon in Bigfork that charges $29 a REAL find. Set with my shorter hair we set out for lunch at The Rocks Cafe in an area near the harbor called "The Rocks." It's a great restored area that has a quaint look and has terrific little cafes. While Paul climbed the Habour Bridge I went on an Opera House Tour. As I walked around the wharf toward the Opera House there were street performers. Instead of your hip hop and plastic barrel performers there were some really interesting "acts." There was a contortionist, some Aborigines, a juggler juggling fire blindfolded from the top of a straight ladder and then of course your standard guitar players and saxophonist. The Opera House tour was fascinating. The architectural and design marvel was anything but easy to accomplish. The Scandinavian architect, Jorn Utzon, won the job on a design that consisted of just broad brush strokes of the shape of the design. There were no detailed plans, just a dream. In fact they had the whole lobby area poured with cement, and they hadn't even figured out how to solve the problem of how to support the roof. The 3 year, 7 million dollar project swelled to about 15 years and 30 million dollars. Yet, now you hear no complaints as it defines Sydney and is one of the most unusual and identifiable buildings in the world. I hope my Dad got to go on that tour as he would have loved all the design challenges and the solutions that have proven so successful. After walking back to the hotel I was able to swim in our hotel's outdoor pool until Paul came back. Tonight after dinner, we're off to a movie!